Divorced Moms: They’re Overlooked Consumers

While interviewing sources for MarketingSherpa’s two-part special report on Marketing to Moms, I had quite a few bits of information that didn’t “fit.” I can’t resist sharing one from Bridget Brennan, Founder of the Female Factor Corporation.

Bridget says there is a lack of attention being paid to divorced moms. In research she conducted for a new book about the rise of female consumers, Bridget discovered that slightly less than half of marriages end in divorce. Yet few marketers target this demographic.

“There is a whole economy wrapped in divorce,” she says. “And a whole world of different things that happen to families that are divorced.”

Many divorced moms are:

-balancing a new spouse and an ex-spouse

-managing their own children and step-children

-dealing with complex visitation schedules when planning vacation

-managing transportation issues on the weekends

-changing the way they decorate and purchase homes so that all children have a room

The opportunities to reach them are endless. It could be in marketing a service that makes their lives easier, reaching them through a magazine targeted to them, or offering special retail solutions. Bridget suggests creating a “divorce registry” similar to a wedding or baby shower registry at a department store.

Dividing finances is also a major issue. “Regular street-level retail banking could promote this as a specialty,” she says.